Fall is in the air

Howden Pumpkin

As I stepped out into my garden this morning, the feeling of Fall was in the air and as I started to peek around, I noticed that my garden was feeling it too. The earliest of our pumpkins are starting to turn that tell tale orange of Fall. 

Sugar pumpkin

Our final dose of strawberries are standing proud and ripening and the Orangetti spaghetti squash vines are dying down while the squash themselves are showing off a beautiful orangey-yellow hue.

Seascape Strawberries

Orangetti Spaghetti Squash

Patty pan

Who knew the vegetable garden would bring such wonderful color this time of year? Our zucchini, yellow squash and tomato plants took a serious beating a couple of weeks ago. We had 4 days of fog followed by 2 incredibly hot days. I think they went into shock. They were well watered, but the foliage just about disappeared. As, I walked around today, I saw that some of the plants were giving it another go. What a treat!

Cherry tomatoes

Black Beauty Zucchini

Crookneck Yellow Squash

Raising leaves here and there brought several wonderful surprises. Our acorn squash plants have about 7 little squash now. I am really keeping my fingers crossed for these since they are a family favorite. In addition, our Butternut squash plants are producing a few squash as well, but they haven't been doing the best this year so I am afraid that mentioning them will kill them off somehow. As a result, mum's the word. Our cucumber plants are happy and producing and this family cannot get enough of them so we are excited to see this crop flourish. Our little peppers are trying their best without the heat, but we are happy to get what we can.

Bush Acorn Squash

Cucumbers

Peppers

There is a little bit of comedy in the garden. Just this week, a cantaloupe popped up. Poor little thing probably doesn't stand a chance, but it was worth a try!!

Cantaloupe

Finally, the deer. At least I am assuming they are deer. The have moved on to some of my other plants. They did not heed my polite warning. Now they will force me to get creative...mwah ah ah ah!

Here are a few signs of their presence:

Chomped off strawberry leaves

Stripped raspberry plants

In August, the garden is providing more than food.  Our little space is giving the gift of change and color, new life and hope of a second chance, comic relief and a little grief to make the gifts richer and appreciated a little bit more. And now the sun shines.